You can drive in the UK for 12 months using a Thai driving licence. 100% guaranteed.

No requirement to obtain an International Licence.

Absolutely correct. My wife did exactly that. Then, after she'd already been driving on British roads for a year on her Thai licence, they made here do the theory and practical driving tests so she could continue to drive on British roads. Go figure

BTW, the International thingy mentioned earlier is not an International Driving Licence (they only exist on Khao San Road and similar dodgy places) it's an International Driving Permit.

If you do really want an IDP you can apply at any Department of Land Transport Office in Thailand. The Thai IDP looks like this

The real reason I brought this up is because I have been offered the use of a privately owned car. Just want to make sure the insurance company does not go ape-shit.

I believe that is the main reason for the IDP - to make it all legal like in case you need to make an insurance claim. You might find the claim denied otherwise.

I always get the IDP for trips to Thailand on my Oz license. BiB are not interested in it at checkpoint stops, but I always get it should insurance ever need it. Costs AUD $35 here (~B850), good for a year.

^
Save your money. An IDP has no validity in its own right.
The only use for this outdated form of licence is in the very limited number of countries where you cannot hire a car with your own country's driving licence.
Nothing to do with insurance.

^
Save your money. An IDP has no validity in its own right.
The only use for this outdated form of licence is in the very limited number of countries where you cannot hire a car with your own country's driving licence.
Nothing to do with insurance.

I've always had one when driving overseas. As has been stated, it is used in conjunction with an ordinary driving license. If you want to get to a car hire company and find they won't give you a car then fine. If you're not worried about being certain you're legal to drive...again, good luck.

Personally, I don't want to run the risk of fucking up my holiday plans to save a tenner and a couple of hours it takes to get an International licence.

And of course it is connected to insurance if you are not legal to drive, unless you've been fortunate enough to find an insurance company determined to pay out in any circumstance.

The Thai licence is good for everywhere --have hired cars and driven in UK ,USA, New Zealand
It does have some real advantages in the UK ,it seems that if you trigger a camera etc and the hire company gives your address as required, in Nakkon Nowhere Thailand ,the authorities do not seem to persue it further

Save your money. An IDP has no validity in its own right.
The only use for this outdated form of licence is in the very limited number of countries where you cannot hire a car with your own country's driving licence.
Nothing to do with insurance

Most countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA have this agreement with Thailand under the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic or the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.

It does have some real advantages in the UK ,it seems that if you trigger a camera etc and the hire company gives your address as required, in Nakkon Nowhere Thailand ,the authorities do not seem to persue it further

Not true. The hire company retains your credit card number, a condition upon hiring, and in the event they receive a claim, regarding the car, after you hand it back they will automatically bill you. It happened to me in the UK.

It does have some real advantages in the UK ,it seems that if you trigger a camera etc and the hire company gives your address as required, in Nakkon Nowhere Thailand ,the authorities do not seem to persue it further

Not true. The hire company retains your credit card number, a condition upon hiring, and in the event they receive a claim, regarding the car, after you hand it back they will automatically bill you. It happened to me in the UK.

I got caught by a camera overstaying on private land. I handed the car back as per contract nothing said. A week or so later I noticed a withdrawal on my bank statement. On questioning it I found out about the overstay penalty. The car owner (hire company) are liable and that is why they keep you credit card number. You cannot hire a car in the UK unless you use a card.

Well it looks like the advise received on here was good..... I had no problems renting cars at all. In once case I reserved a little Ford shitbox and ended up with a BMW because the previous renter managed to bang up the Ford. It does seem a bit bizarre that they will let you run around for a whole year in a BMW but then ask you to take the full drivers examination to get a UK licence. The UK sure has changed since I left. A pint of ale and a basket of fish n chips now costs about the same as a decent used car when I left.....
One thing that has not changed much is the weather.....out of almost 2 months I saw about five days when it was not raw, damp and miserable. Most of the places I stayed seemed to have a policy of turning the heat on based on some preset date like Nov 1st....instead of the temperature which is what the rest of the world does. It was fooking freezing at times and no heat was made available.
Anyway thanks for the info guys....TD does come through at times....

Some countries require a IDP and some do not as long as your license has the English language translation on it usually
A International Driving Permit (IDP) only confirms what you are allowed to drive legally on your driving license, So if you do not hold a license to drive a truck,car, motorbike its not on your IDP either and you cannot legally ride/drive it
Also if a IDP is legally required to ride/drive in a country and you are involved in a accident the insurance can and will refuse to pay any claim